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Thursday, January 5, 2017

Wildrose - carbon tax raising the cost of everything

Wildrose MLA Drew Barnes - The NDP’s risky carbon tax is now in effect – and the cost of everything is going up.

The price of gas is now 4.5 cents per litre more expensive.

Diesel is now 5.4 cents per litre more expensive.

Natural gas prices will increase between 30 to 40 per cent.

Gas taxes have gone up nearly 100 percent since the last election.

When fully implemented, the NDP and Trudeau carbon tax will cost the typical household $2,500 per year. Alberta is already the most expensive government in Canada, but this carbon tax creates new expensive bureaucracies to hand out billions in green slush funds.

Wildrose is the only party that has stood up and said we’ll repeal the NDP’s carbon tax immediately after being elected government in 2019.

We’ll also take the steps necessary to fight Trudeau’s federal carbon tax.

Any carbon tax will not only increase costs for families and those doing business in Alberta but gut Canada’s ability to compete globally, especially since our top competitor, the United states, will not be imposing one.

Carbon taxes will make life even more challenging for small businesses, charities, municipalities and school boards. Carbon taxation will reduce the level of services, choice and competition. With companies already citing the carbon tax as the reason for increased prices, some business will be forced to close.

Given these tough economic times when Albertans could use a break, the NDP has made everything more expensive.

The vast majority of Albertans do not support a job killing carbon tax, no matter the millions of taxpayer dollars the NDP waste on ads promoting it or how many ministers the NDP sends out to spin this tax.

The NDP want the Wildrose to “put down our swords” in our opposition to the carbon tax.

The vast majority of Albertans who oppose the NDP’s job killing carbon tax would rather the NDP stop the higher taxes that are raising the cost of everything

If the NDP want us to stop fighting for Albertans against their carbon tax, it’s not going to happen.

Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said we need the carbon tax because Albertans were tired of being “laggards."

Albertans are sick and tired of being talked down to by the NDP. Our oil and gas industry continues to be the best in the world and is the pride of many everyday, hardworking Albertans.

When asked in a news conference about how the carbon tax will impact Albertans, Premier Notley said when gas prices go up because of the tax, taking the bus or walking are other options.

You and I both know that simply isn’t an option for many families going about their daily lives, trying to make a decent living. Especially those with lengthy commutes.

The fact is, walking or taking the bus to get groceries just isn’t an option for those of us in rural Alberta, neither is turning off the heat. This carbon tax is nothing but a tax grab from hardworking people who deserve a break.

Our economy is struggling. Over 100,000 Albertans have lost their jobs and the NDP’s solution has been to add another tax onto hardworking families in our province.

We stand with the hardworking Albertans across the province, and 27 months from now a Wildrose government will repeal the carbon tax if elected.

Drew Barnes is the Wildrose Shadow Energy Minister and MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat